The gathering serves to officially welcome thousands of the 12,000 18-30 year-olds who have recently arrived in Israel to participate in dozens of long-term Israel programs including gap years, study abroad, internships, teaching English to young students, and other post-college initiatives.

Israeli reggae band Hatikva 6 on October 31, 2016, at Jerusalem’s ICC; photo by Ran Biran.

With Israeli TV personality Jason Danino Holt as emcee, participants were entertained by live music from Yemenite electronic folk band A-WA and Israeli reggae group Hatikva 6. American-Israeli comedian Benji Lovitt hosted a Jewish geography game show.

Participants from the United States and Russia show off their national pride; photo by Ran Biran.

“We bring thousands of Masa Israel Journey program participants together at this pep rally-style event, so they can get a taste of the exciting journey they each have ahead of them,” said Masa Israel Journey CEO, Liran Avisar. “We want all of our participants to understand that they are now part of a community larger than themselves, and a network that goes far beyond the specific programs on which they are enrolled. Together, we will celebrate Israeli culture and get our participants excited about experiencing Masa Israel their way – “My Masa” – so they can make the most of the transformative time in Israel to come.”

The Forward: Why the U.S. Presidential Election Matters for Israel's Environment

Israelis are interested in the U.S. presidential election. But who ends up in the White House does not only impact the most obvious foreign policy initiatives – military aid, the future of the Iran nuclear deal, a potential two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. I see the future of U.S. environmental policy as the most critical issue to Israel’s interests, as it affects both Israel’s physical climate and economy.

As the climate changes, countries like Israel – small, densely populated states with limited natural resources, and near the coast – will likely face the brunt of negative consequences. In 2013, the Israeli Environmental Protection Administration reported that climate change would likely put more than five million Israelis at risk of not only flooding due to the rising Mediterranean and greater rainfall causing rivers to overflow, but also of increased transmission of infectious diseases from mosquitoes and other carriers.

The next very few years are crucial for the trajectory global warming takes and whether or not we will be able to keep warming to tolerable levels. Indeed, this trajectory depends directly on the environmental policies of the next president.

The United States contributes more than 15% of the world’s CO2 emissions, is second only to China in total emissions, and is far and away the world leader in emissions per capita, outpacing China almost three to one. Because the U.S. is such a huge contributor to climate change and because the U.S. is typically the least common denominator for international agreements, it is essentially impossible for mankind to keep climate change within controllable levels without genuine and enthusiastic U.S. government-led efforts to reduce carbon emissions and adopt more sustainable practices.

Should the U.S. fail to live up to its commitments and lead the way in reducing carbon emissions, we should expect that other developed economies – those countries that contribute the most to climate change – will follow suit, and continue emitting at unsustainably high rates.

President Obama has set U.S. environmental policy on a sustainable path. This fall, he signed the Paris Agreement, joining almost 200 countries in agreeing to limit climate change through reducing carbon emissions, and his administration has advanced the Clean Power Plan, which aims to transform America’s power grid to rely on cleaner and more sustainable methods of producing energy. The direction of U.S. environmental policy in coming years will direct humanity’s battle against climate change.

The impact of U.S. environmental policies on Israel during the next presidential administration will affect both Israel’s physical climate and, perhaps less obviously, its economy. Indeed, the two nominees have released vastly different statements on their intentions regarding environmental sustainability and climate change.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Donald Trump has promised to rescind many of President Obama’s steps toward a sustainable future, including the Clean Power Plan, Climate Action Plan, and Waters of the U.S. Rule, as well as “cancel” the U.S.’ commitments to the Paris agreements within his first 100 days in office. Moreover, Trump has declared his intentions to eliminate entirely the Environmental Protection Agency. These actions would have catastrophic effects on our ability to combat climate change, not to mention put millions of Americans in immediate and grave danger of being poisoned by pollution currently controlled by government regulation.

Hillary Clinton’s environmental policies leave something to be desired; she has refrained from proposing the politically contentious carbon cap-and-trade and carbon tax policies thought to be necessary to significantly reduce global warming. However, she has adopted positions that extend President Obama’s existing efforts, and wants to install a billion solar panels by 2020 and generate enough renewable energy to power every home in America within the next 10 years.

Climate change will especially injure countries with coastlines as sea levels rise and extreme weather events worsen and become more common, and Israel is no exception. Climate change tends to intensify temperature extremes, while simultaneously raising average temperatures. For a desert country like Israel with already extreme temperatures, this means that summers will be drier, hotter, and longer, while winters will be shorter but with stronger rains. This effect will contribute to increased transmission of diseases as mosquitoes and other carriers encounter less cold weather, and therefore die off at lower rates, leaving more time throughout the year to infect people.

The second way U.S. environmental policy will impact Israel is through its economy. Israel is a leading exporter of environmental goods to the United States, including solar panels, desalination, irrigation, and wastewater treatment technologies, exporting close to $500 million a year. If the U.S. lives up to its commitments to the Paris Climate Accords and remains committed to the Clean Power Plan, demand for environmental goods in the U.S. stands to increase substantially as it invests in new technologies to meet emissions goals and adapt to changing conditions. Israel, a world leader in environmental, biological, and high-tech innovation, and the nation with more start-ups per capita than any other, will have a terrific opportunity to increase exports to the U.S.

The steps the next U.S. president takes regarding climate change will have a tremendous impact on Israel, both in terms of its climate and its economy. If the U.S. takes a strong stance against climate change, Israel will benefit greatly from increased American investment in its environmental sector. If, however, the U.S. chooses to spit in the face of agreed upon science and hamstring decades of environmental progress, Israel will face environmental challenges far more significant than those it has already worked so hard to overcome.

Toby Mirman is currently serving as a Masa Israel Teaching Fellow, through which he teaches English to middle schoolers in Rishon LeZion, Israel. A native of West Hartford, Conn., he graduated in May 2016 from Johns Hopkins University with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Global Environmental Change and Sustainability.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward [and/or Masa Israel Journey].

Haaretz: Meet Hillary Clinton's Biggest Cheerleaders in Israel

From calling registered voters to filling out absentee ballots, Democratic Party activists in Israel do what they can to see their candidate in the White House.

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Another Wellesley alumna, 28-year-old Eleanor Cheatham, attended the debate party and, like Stone, has been dedicating several hours every day to the Clinton cause. Unlike her host, however, Cheatham is a new arrival in Tel Aviv. Two months ago, she arrived to participate in the Jewish Agency’s Masa program, where young Jews experience extended internships in Israel.

Arriving in Israel “very interested in politics” after organizing events for Bernie Sanders and then becoming a Clinton supporter, Cheatham applied for her absentee ballot before she left America since “I didn’t want to leave the U.S. and abandon my civic duty.”

Once in Tel Aviv, she discovered that most of her fellow 20-somethings in Masa were less conscientious and had not registered and applied for overseas ballots. In seeking help for them, she became involved with Democrats Abroad and began volunteering, helping with their website, editing videos and responding to queries on social media.

“I’ve been reaching out to other U.S. citizens and expats who were posting for help. I answer their questions, talk them through the process step by step while they’ve filled out forms. I even went to a woman’s apartment and filled it out for her because it was so stressful for her, and then I took it to the U.S. Embassy to mail – I’ve done that for others, too. The more I’ve seen the need for help, the more my commitment has grown."

Cheatham said she couldn’t have imagined spending so much time in Israel focused on the presidential election in the country she had just left. “It’s very, very, very ironic. But I think it just really opened my eyes.”

Meeting so many young Americans who weren’t voting in the election, she said, alarmed her. “They are in their late teens and early 20s – and it seems they feel really hopeless. They have shown me there is major need to restore hope in my generation. We are young and have the most potential to shape and build our country. If we think our vote doesn’t matter, that’s really dangerous."

Jewish Business News: English Speaking Jewish Students To Receive Teaching Fellowships In Israel

College graduates ages 21 to 30 who are interested in teaching English to Israeli children, while embarking on a journey that will change their lives, are invited to apply to participate in the 2017-2018 class of Masa Israel Teaching Fellows.

The Masa Israel Teaching Fellows program is a partnership between Masa Israel Journey, Israel’s Ministry of Education, and The Jewish Agency for Israel.

The fellowship provides young Jews from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand with a 10-month experience living in Israel and volunteering through teaching English in schools.

The program aims to close the educational achievement gap in Israel’s education system through small group instruction and tutoring at schools identified as in need of additional assistance by the Israeli Ministry of Education. The Fellowship runs from late August to June.

Tamar Zilbershatz, Director of Gap and Service Programs at Masa Israel Journey said “We are now in our sixth year, and we know we are having an impact because students tell our fellows that their older siblings remember the fellows before them. We have become part of the national landscape.

“Though our students get the chance to immerse themselves in Israeli life, they are also charged with the daunting task of helping Israel’s Education Ministry meet its goal of vastly improving English language among students countrywide. Masa Israel Teaching Fellows are part of something much bigger than themselves, an agenda of national priority for Israel’s million plus students.”

Throughout the program, the fellows will study under top international language instructors in Israel, focusing on understanding how individuals acquire a new language. The strategies learned through this program help fellows better connect with their students and address challenging classroom situations.

Said Masa Israel Teaching Fellows alumnus Matt Callman, who taught in Netanya 2014-15 and now serves as Israel Engagement Coordinator at the Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh, “Masa Israel Teaching Fellows was an opportunity to grow as an individual, connect with my Jewish identity, and enhance my leadership skills. MITF and Masa Israel helped me better understand my place in the Jewish world, the role Judaism plays in my life, and my passion for teaching.”

The Jerusalem Post: Masa Program to Bring 13,000 Jewish Youth to Israel in Coming Year

Some 13,000 Jewish youth are expected to come to Israel this coming year to participate in Masa, the organization announced on Thursday.

Benjamin Netanyahu takes a selfie with Masa participants.

(Photo Credit: REUTERS)

The program provides Jewish youth the opportunity to participate in over 250 immersive Israel programs ranging in length from six months to a year, which include internships, study abroad programs, and volunteer opportunities. These experiences aim to give participants practical academic or work experience while strengthening their connection to Israel.

The Masa program is set to officially launch on October 31st during a ceremony in Jerusalem with the participation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Natan Sharansky, head of the Jewish Agency.

“The youth arrive to Israel to participate in a wide range of Masa programs, from government, to economy and culture, hi-tech, teaching English, medicine and more,” Liran Avisar-Ben Horin, CEO of Masa said.

She noted that in addition Masa provides participants with tools to engage in hasbara (public diplomacy) for Israel, turning those who take part into informal ambassadors for Israel to the world.

“Every year they show that the year they spend in Israel – working, volunteering and being exposed the multi-layered and complex Israeli society – becomes the most meaningful in their lives,” she said.

According to a recent survey conducted by Midgam Institute and released by Masa, some 87% of Masa participants said they intend to actively work towards strengthening Israel’s image in the world, while 81% of participants said their vision of Israel “changed for the positive” because of participating in the project.

Slightly more than half, 58% of respondents, said they would “certainly” act against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Since its founding in 2004 by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Jewish Agency, over 120,000 young Jews from around the world have participated in Masa programs.

The Roanoke Times: Lid: Finding My Spark – From Roanoke to Israel

When the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2015, I wasn’t full of joy, but panic. It was officially my graduation year, and I felt as lost as ever. In just five short months, I would be graduating with degrees in International Relations and Religious Studies from Roanoke College, but I had no “next step.” My friends seemed to have everything planned out – moving to new cities, finding jobs, getting engaged. I was confused as ever, as far from “figured out” as you could get.

I knew what I wanted to do long term – I want to go into academia, but I did not know what exactly I wanted to study, or where I wanted to study. The only thing I knew I wanted to do was to research peace and conflict. I spent most of my time senior year planning and executing the first ever Israel-Palestine Peace Month at Roanoke, which I coordinated with two friends – two of us Jewish and one Palestinian. I was learning more and more each day about the Israeli-Arab conflict, and knew that I wanted to learn more. It was much more complicated than I had ever thought, and I knew that I would never get the full story unless I went and experienced it myself.

One thing led to another, and I found myself on a plane to Israel to participate in a Masa Israel Journey program. Masa gave me the chance to choose from hundreds of programs through which I could intern at cutting-edge companies, volunteer, study or teach English. Through Masa Israel Teaching Fellows (MITF), I was first trained in teaching English, and then I was tasked with my own classroom, teaching English in an Israeli school.

However, my program was different than for others who had done it before. For the first time, through a partnership Masa developed with the Ministry of Education due to the needs the ministry was observing in Arab communities, MITF would have a cohort of Americans teaching English in Rahat, a Bedouin-Arab city near Be’er Sheva in the desert while we also spent time learning together at the Bina Secular Yeshiva, an educational institution in Be’er Sheva.

I was drawn to the program in great part because of my experiences as a Jewish student at Roanoke College, a school where only 27 people self-identified as Jewish my senior year. Through a friendship with a Palestinian-American student whose family manages a coexistence project in Bethlehem, and my time organizing Israeli-Palestinian Peace Month, as well as my studies in class, I knew I wanted to explore co-existence in the flesh.

Seeing something is believing in it, but experiencing something is understanding it. I entered Al Huda School in Rahat with little to no understanding of the Bedouin culture or experience within Israeli society, but left with a love and appreciation for the culture and the people. I learned about the people, about the education system within Bedouin cities and Israeli society in general, and about myself. I began to understand the big issues at hand, but also the smaller, less obvious challenges and nuances. The more I seemed to learn, the more questions I had. And as I questioned the world and society around me, I began to understand myself more as well.

Going on my “masa” (which literally means “journey” in Hebrew) taught me that the world is much more complicated and interesting than it seems on paper. There is only so much we can learn from books. Moving to Israel opened my eyes to the world around me, and offered me a chance to explore not only the topics that I found myself drawn to during college, but also to the topics I hope to explore in the future.

My masa changed the direction of my future in many ways, and has allowed me to explore new possibilities. I am making Aliyah (immigrating to Israel) this December and hope to continue to work toward Jewish-Arab peace; I will be studying for my master’s degree in government at the Interdisciplinary Center in Hertzliya. Furthermore, I am excited to be a part of the people of Israel, and to further grow personally. Being in Israel gives me a spark I don’t feel anywhere else, a spark that pushes me to try new things, take risks, study harder and live more. I am so thankful for MITF for introducing me to a whole new world, and I’m so excited to see where my masa continues.

Shaina Lidd of Stafford County, is a 2015 graduate of Roanoke College. She recently returned from a year participating on Masa Israel Teaching Fellows, a program teaching English in Israel, and will soon be making Aliyah (immigrating to Israel).

eJewish Philanthropy: Applications Now Open for English Teaching Fellowships in Israel

College graduates ages 21 to 30 who are interested in teaching English to Israeli children are invited to apply to participate in the 2017-2018 class of Masa Israel Teaching Fellows.

The Masa Israel Teaching Fellows program is a partnership between Masa Israel Journey, Israel’s Ministry of Education, and The Jewish Agency for Israel. The prestigious fellowship provides young Jews from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand with a 10-month experience living in Israel and volunteering through teaching English in schools. The program aims to close the educational achievement gap in Israel’s education system through small group instruction and tutoring at schools identified as in need of additional assistance by the Israeli Ministry of Education. The Fellowship runs from late August to June.

The 2017-2018 fellowship class will be assigned to elementary and middle schools in Ashdod, Be’er Sheva, Beit She’an, Migdal Ha’emek, Nazareth, Netanya, Petach Tikvah, Rahat, Ramla, Rehovot, and Rishon Lezion as well as in a youth village providing a boarding school setting for immigrant and youth at risk. Applicants are asked to identify their top-choice location.

In addition to working directly with Israeli school children, Masa Israel Teaching Fellows also participate in a two-credit academic course, “Methods in Language Teaching: Theory & Practice,” taught by the academic staff of Tel Aviv University’s TESOL Master’s program. Throughout the program, the fellows will study under top international language instructors in Israel, focusing on understanding how individuals acquire a new language. The strategies learned through this program help fellows better connect with their students and address challenging classroom situations.

Eligible applicants must identify as Jewish and have at least an undergraduate degree by September 1, 2017. Applicants cannot be Israeli citizens or have spent four consecutive months or longer in Israel within the last two years.

From Investigative Journalist to Israeli Consultant: Meet Aviva Gat

My parents had been pushing me to go to business school since I finished my undergrad in journalism. I come from a family that collects degrees the way other people collect postcards or rocks, and my parents couldn’t quite understand why I had thought that a bachelor's degree would be enough. I don’t think however that they ever thought I would end up eventually getting that second degree half way around the world.

When I finished my undergrad, I was ready to be a journalist like the ones in the movies, investigating corrupt politicians, breaking shocking news stories and using my skills to shed light on things that were important to me. I quickly found out that jobs like that don’t really exist, at least not for a salary that would allow me to follow my other dream of living in New York City.

I did, however, find a great job as a journalist covering corporate bankruptcy for a magazine on Wall Street. A little less glamorous, but I did get to write about Blockbuster, Kodak, Hostess and even the city of Detroit. (Yes, cities can file for bankruptcy, Google it.)

It sounds dull, but I found bankruptcy more interesting than I thought I would. Writing about it meant reading a lot of financial statements, combing through numbers and writing about corporate strategies and why they failed. I spend half my day talking to lawyers and business men and every day someone asked me: Did you go to business school? Do you have a law degree?

Meanwhile, I was getting tired of living in New York and decided to move to Israel. While I did pursue journalism here and worked at a high-tech reporter, I thought moving to a new country might be a good time to change career paths and start something new.

I chose to study at Tel Aviv University because of the great offering of classes, and the career center, which I knew I would use to help me figure out what I wanted to do while I pivoted from journalism.

The Sofaer International MBA program was interesting and opened my eyes to different things that I hadn’t thought about. It also gave me a new lens to view my experience covering financial bankruptcy, now that I understood a little more about what went into running a business.

The best part of the program was that it helped me find a new career that allowed me to use my skills that I acquired as a journalist and let me practice new abilities that I learned in my MBA.

I started getting interested in consulting during the program and spent a lot of time trying to figure out what consulting means: what do consultants do on a day to day basis? Do they just sit around and think about business things? Do they spend all their time meeting with CEOs and showing fancy presentations?

It turns out they spend a lot of time interviewing people, analyzing data and organizing all of that to tell a story that will help a client achieve some business goal. It seemed more similar to journalism that I had ever thought: a career where my job was changing every day, where I could constantly learn new things and even help people achieve something that they didn’t know how to achieve themselves.

After graduating from the Sofaer International MBA program, I started working as a consultant at Tefen, an Israeli Management Consulting Firm, where I can honestly say I have yet to have a dull day. My job has taken me to a factory in Dimona to a Kibbutz next to the Kinneret and many other places in between. Not only that, but I have been exposed to so many things that I never knew about before, and I am constantly learning about new industries and ideas.

Without the MBA program, I don’t know if I would have discovered this job opportunity, or had the confidence to change my career path.

Written by Aviva Gat, Tel Aviv University Sofaer International MBA Alumna

JERUSALEM – For the first time in the program’s prestigious history, a new cohort of Jewish college graduates from English-speaking countries will soon begin coursework at Tel Aviv University to learn best practices in classroom management, discipline and instruction to supplement their months-long fellowship teaching English as a second language to underserved students in every sector of Israel’s diverse society.

The MITF-Tel Aviv University partnership is a first of its kind agreement that will provide this year’s class of 135 Masa Israel Teaching Fellows with additional training over the course of their fellowship. The fellows will participate in a two-credit academic course, “Methods in Language Teaching: Theory & Practice,” taught by the academic staff of Tel Aviv University’s TESOL Master’s program. Throughout the program, the fellows will study under top international language instructors in Israel, focusing on understanding how individuals acquire a new language. The strategies learned through this program will help the fellows better connect with their students and address challenging classroom situations.

“Partnering with Tel Aviv University as part of Masa Israel Teaching Fellows’ pedagogical training program is yet another step toward achieving excellence that is the calling card of the teaching fellows program, and of Masa Israel’s programs as a whole,” said Tamar Zilbershatz, the director of Gap and Service Programs for Masa Israel Journey. “We aim to contribute to Israeli society while benefiting the fellows professionally, giving them the opportunity to be part of Israel’s prestigious academic ecosystem. It’s a win-win all around.”

Added Prof. Elana Shohamy, who chairs Tel Aviv University’s TESOL Master’s program, “We are very pleased to welcome Masa Israel Teaching Fellows to the Tel Aviv University family, and we look forward to providing them with a taste of TAU's academic excellence. This partnership provides us with a unique opportunity to impact the next generation of young professionals, and to do so in Israel.”

The goal of the fellowship program is to reduce the educational achievement gap of underserved Israelis. The prestigious fellowship provides young Jews who are native English speakers with a 10-month experience living, working and volunteering in Israel. Masa Israel Teaching Fellows are assigned to various locations across Israel, including Nazareth and Rahat. Nazareth is the largest Arab city in Israel, and Rahat is the first and largest Bedouin city in Israel. Masa started the programs in both communities at the urging of Israel’s Ministry of Education, which has labeled schools in these areas as underperforming. Masa is expanding its teaching fellows’ presence in both of these communities this year.

Accreditation for this course will be given to those who successfully complete all course requirements. Fellows who later join Tel Aviv University’s TESOL Master’s program will be exempt from this course requirement.

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Masa Israel Journey is the leader in immersive international experiences in Israel. Masa Israel connects young people ages 18-30 who are seeking to enrich their personal and professional growth with the top gap year, study abroad, service-learning and career development opportunities. Through subsidized, individually tailored programs, developed and implemented in collaboration with The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Government of Israel, Masa participants immerse themselves in the community and embark on a journey that will change both the course of their lives, and of the Jewish people’s future. More info at israelteachingfellows.org